Aside from having other fans you can talk to online, does being an anime fan sometimes feel a little lonely? Anime seems to be a very unpopular hobby among many people who aren't fans, and I was wondering how you guys felt about that.

I guess being a fan, it can get pretty lonely. I don't have friends that are fans, so it's impossible for me to talk them about the latest anime I'm watching (because to them, all anime is weird).

But I do visit message boards, so that helps wash away that feeling. :)

That's what I felt like back in high school. Almost no one was into anime except my friends and I, but when I got to university I noticed tons of people who were into anime. It was like as if anime suddenly got popular in Canada lol.

I saw people reading manga online while they were lounging around, I hear them talk about mainstream anime like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach etc. There's even an anime club and during the club recruitment days the one table that I always go to is the table full of anime figures, dojinshis, mangas, DVDs and the like.

Since then I've met countless people at university who were into anime, even some of the profs can relate. It's fun talking to others in person about anime/manga. It's certainly something that's not "lonely" to me.

I don't give a pigs ass if someone openly mocked me and tried to make me feel disgraceful for watching anime. For all I care they probably drive a honda civic, yet I don't go around screaming at those people like they do, I keep those opinions to myself. If they're not into anime there's no problem there. If they try to convert me I'll just ignore them. It's a lot like a lot of other things, I just tend to ignore people if I don't feel like there's any need to worry about them.

I share the hobby with my BF and some friends. Here in my country there's a saying that goes "God creates them and they get together on their own" XD People that like anime are increasing everywhere so I don't think is that lonely anymore, unless you live in a very far away part with no cable or internet. You only need to relate with more people and you'll find some are only shy about the topic ^^

It can be a lonely hobby in my country. But as long as you have friends who watch them, there is definitely something to share among one another. I do have friends who are fans of anime and we always talk about the characters or the plot of the anime. So I think it all depends on whether there are people around you who watches anime before judging it on whether it is a lonely hobby. :)

For me, yes, it is lonely. Only a few of my friends have watched some anime (3 or 4 series), the rest have watched none.
It's especially lonely because I'm one of those yaoi/bishounen fan girls ^^; none of the girls I spend my time with watch anime so yaoi is out of question.

Well in the past when Japanese Animation and Manga Culture was still a rarity which only Insider fans knew, of course yes, it was a lonely hobby. The good old prejudice Cartoons are just for kids and bla bla bla prevailed by that time which is why series like Saber Rider and the Starsheriffs was made for kids o make it viewable to a younger audience.

Maybe until now you can find a lo of Anime and Manga fans worldwide alone through the Internet and Internet communities like this one here. And then we come up with ideas of organizing meetings online and get to know each other, no matter the age groups. We can be proud to call ourselves Fans of Japanese Comic and Animation culture

I have several hobbies, none of which I think of as being all that unusual or esoteric. I do not perceive my interest in anime as being any more isolating than any other hobby that I pursue. I'm one of the older members of the community, and as a first consideration one would tend to think of anime as being a hobby of youthful interest. The truth is that anime is not limited to a youthful fan base. When I speak to someone about anime, regardless of the age of the other person, the case is unusually: one in which they find my interest in anime intriguing. What usually limits our ability to have the kind of intense discussions that I might crave is their level of fan knowledge. Several of my off-line friends have started to take an interest in anime as a result of my fan interest, and my little sister, who happens to be twenty-three is considering joining AP or some other fan community.

The short answer is, no. I don't think anime is a lonely hobby. It is a hobby that may require you to function as a knowledgeable advocate and instructor, but it is not lonely.

As most of other people here, I have few friends who are really fan of animes. Some of my best friends are completely addicted as I am, not the majority (but for sure my closest friends).

Having a beer and talking about animes or games (other addiction ;) ) can really be interesting on saturday evening.

I dont feel lonely while watching animes. I look forward for the discussion with friends ;)

I don't know... it does feel lonely sometimes... I mean no one around me shares that interest so I do feel alone.
Most of my friends that like anime are net friends for all others they just think that watching anime is only for kids and that people in their 20s and 30s should not watch them (except maybe to control what their kids are watching )...

I have only one friend who is watching anime. I watch anime always alone since it's not popular here :/

Depends on what you mean by lonely. I only have one friend who's into anime, but she's so obsessive that I'd rather not talk to her about it. So in that sense, if you are put into a room with the people you can talk to about anime, then yes, it's a very lonely topic, though anime is not the central point in my life. I care about it very much and always manage to do something in my day that involves anime or manga, but I don't live by it.

But I don't get lonely over not having anyone to talk to about it. I guess this is where my arrogant side comes out and says "I don't want to know everyone else's opinions". Why? Because all the people in my school who actually DO know about anime talk about it distastefully, like my friend. The last thing I want to hear is someone talking "And he opened up a can of woopass like a boss! Did you see that man? Did you see that? That was the shit man!" And all that crap. I take anime seriously, and I hate it when others don't.

So the answer to your question is yes, anime, to me, is a lonely topic. Do I feel lonely because there is no one I can talk to about it? No.

That's another reason I joined AP. The people here are actually serious about anime.

Whoa!
Several of these responses have left me in shocked- yes- in shocked. When I was in high school there were like- a bajillion anime nerds floating around in every corner you looked. They had a pretty large anime club in my school too. A lot of my good friends are into anime as well. Even now in college, I got stopped by this one guy asking me if I knew about the anime club- 'cause I was wearing a shirt that exposed my nerd-dom. It wasn't just one lonely guy hidden in the corner of the building- this guy was sitting around talking to about 5 other anime club peeps.

It can get lonely sometimes but it doesnt have to be. I find myself talking about some anime i had just seen or what my favorites are and alot of the time the response leaves something to be desired. though none of my friends are anime fans i dont think that it has ever detered me from watching it. its just something that not everyone loves but those of us that do love it alot and cant imagine life with out it :)

Absolutely. I have no friends who like anime and it does get lonly. I suppose internet forums are good, but it's not the same right. I don't understand people's problem with anime. It's kinda weird how no one seems to kinda like anime - they either love it or hate it. I also heard that in Japan it's the same as the west - only a specific minority strand of society like anime. It can't really be compared to another, more popular, media such as hollywood movies. I guess everyone's used to movies, in the cinema, on TV and DVDs, maybe if anime was on TV would more people like it? And by TV I don't mean Dragonball Z on Cartoon Network I mean something mainstream. Instead of some usual drama series on ITV, maybe anime instead? If that were to happen I honestly don't think people would just watch TV altogether, more people would like anime right? The thing is anime is very underground, you need a compass and map to find the anime section of a shop like HMV and when you do manage to track it down you'll find it's half a shelf with five titles on it. It's kind of a vicious circle, where anime is unpopular therefore it's harder to get and that makes it even more unpopular. It's not just TV and shops' fault though, I mean what about publishing companies. They take so long to dub and release anime that fan subs are a lot for attractive - thus driving anime further underground, harder to get hold of and therefor less popular.

Maxi-Ryu99

The good old prejudice Cartoons are just for kids and bla bla bla prevailed by that time which is why series like Saber Rider and the Starsheriffs was made for kids o make it viewable to a younger audience.

That's exactly what it was like for me in high school. It was especially bad because DBZ was just gaining popularity on Toonami and that seemed to be the biggest thing for anyone to insult someone over. It was also hilarious watching those who made fun of you for it trying to grasp the concept of it. At least for those who weren't smart enough to understand the basis of it aside from the mindless fighting and powering up. Even despite the fact that anime had been in the United States for sometime, it still had yet to make a strong mark, even in the late 90s-early 00s.

Is it a lonely hobby? Well, if you have friends to share it with then no. A lonely hobby is something you share by yourself. You and only you. I find that with anime, it's far from it. Generally, I watch with a group of friends and poke holes in the series all the while having a great time. If I don't do that, I watch anime with my girlfriend. I find that, honestly, out of all my hobbies, anime is the one where I am the most active with other individuals. That's not saying that I don't sometimes prefer to watch it by myself and just take everything in without making fun of it. I generally game by myself and when I use to drum, it was usually just practicing. I think it also helped out that I attended our University anime club, well, whenever I could.

Have you tried introducing your friends to it? Anime is basically what television is, it's about finding something that you enjoy. Especially since there are so many great shows out there now, it's really easy to find something for everyone. Of course, that's if their interested in taking the plunge.